The philosophy of rheumatism and gout, and a new method of radically curing those distressing maladies without the use of internal medicine / by J.F.I. Caplin.

  • Caplin, J. F. I (Jean François Isidore)
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The philosophy of rheumatism and gout, and a new method of radically curing those distressing maladies without the use of internal medicine / by J.F.I. Caplin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    24/74 (page 8)
    III. WHAT IS EHEUMATISM ? Rheumatism is a painful musculo-cutaneous disease, caused by obstructed perspiration, and defective secre¬ tion, the result of cold. It is Protean in character ; affecting sometimes the whole body at once, and at others, fastening upon a particular member of it. There are two hinds of Rheumatism — each distinct from the other—but both emanating from similar causes. These are Simple Rheumatism, or Rheumatism proper j and Drug Rheumatism, or Rheumatism complex. The first, as I have stated above, is occasioned by cold, moisture, wind, rain or draughts, &c. : by any cause, in fact, which has the efiect of contracting and closing up, or inducing the apertures, of the pores of the skin to collapse. What happens in such a case ? If the reader has attentively followed what I have before explained the functions of the skin to be,—he will be able himself to anticipate the consequences. Let me however dilate a little more upon the subject, because it is of extreme importance, and I would wish to establish thoroughly the truth of what I have ad¬ vanced. When the superficial pores—I mean those of the epidermis—are closed, the act of perspiration is arrested and the effetes are retained within. These effetes are composed of dead matter, i.e., of the particles which, after a certain time, have exhausted their properties of